Participants sign up for the portfolio by sending a PM to David A. Goldfarb with their name, mailing address, e-mail address and phone number. They will be added to the mailing list which will be kept and managed by the organizer. The portfolio will start in New York and work its way around the world. Each new participant will add one photo to the portfolio and send the entire package to the next person on the list. Months later, when the portfolio is returned to you, you will replace it with a new photo. You can include some technical and background information on the photo along with the print, perhaps taped to the back of the mount or in a sleeve along with the print. Be sure to identify the print clearly as yours.

F.A.Q.’s

Q: How much will this cost me?
A: David Goldfarb has purchased two Tenba Port-Ship FedEx shipping cases for the project and participants in the first round of the portfolio all chipped in to help pay for the first one, so until the portfolio wears out, that's paid for. If you would like to contribute to the cost of the second shipping portfolio, send a PM to David A. Goldfarb. All you have to pay for is shipping to the next destination. We will do our best to have the portfolio travel the shortest distances possible, and not zigzag across the globe. Please let us know if you are not able to ship the portfolio internationally and we will do our best to accommodate your request for domestic shipment.

Q: What type and size print can I send?
A: Any type of print may be submitted up to 11x14 in size as long as it started life as analog/film/plate/photogram based. The idea is to show your best work to the rest of the APUG community. Prints and mounts are subject to some wear from handling and shipping. Work that is mounted and placed in a close-fitting clear acrylic sleeve seems to hold up the best. Unmounted prints are at greater risk, obviously.

Q: I don’t want to submit a print at this time; can I just see the portfolio and ship it on to the next person on the list?
A: No, because such requests would add to the already long shipping time for the portfolio, but watch to see if the portfolio is traveling to your area. You may be able to meet up with a participant and take a look.

Q: How many people are going to be involved with this project?
A: Each portfolio can accommodate about 20 participants, and for now we have two portfolios running.

Q: How long can I keep the portfolio before I have to send it on to the next person?
A: Please ship the portfolio on to the next destination within a week of receiving it, and e-mail or PM the next recipient before shipping to confirm their address and to let them know that the portfolio is on its way and they should be getting their submission ready. If you can't contact the next person, send a PM to David A. Goldfarb.

Q: What method of shipping should I use? Should I insure the portfolio?
A: Use a carrier that offers the best compromise between shipping time and cost. It is not necessary to send the portfolio overnight or to use a costly courier or express service.

Do not insure the portfolio or declare a high value for customs when shipping internationally, or the recipient may be assessed a high duty to receive the portfolio, and will justifiably not accept it, and then the carrier may charge you a return shipping fee. This has not happened with the APUG Traveling Portfolio, but it did happen with a similar project on another site.

We are using Tenba Port-Ship 11x14" cases for the portfolios. They have an airbill window, and fewer external straps, rings, and lugs than other shipping cases, are relatively light, and they seem to hold up well to repeated international shipping. It is not necessary to put the case in a box for shipping.

Q: How long does it take for the portfolio to make a full circuit?
A: It takes about a year for the portfolio to go around the world. Sometimes it moves briskly, but it seems to get waylayed occasionally when someone falls out of contact or if the portfolio arrives while someone is on vacation. To keep it moving smoothly, please confirm the next person's participation before sending them the portfolio.

Q: Who owns my photo?
A: You do. APUG is not responsible for the misuse, damage, theft, loss, etc. of your photo. By signing up for the Traveling Portfolio project, you agree to the terms listed above.

Q: Can I mount my print? Should I?
A: In the past we said that you may either mount, or over mount your print with regular light weight (4-ply maximum) mat board as long as it does not exceed the 11”X14” total size. Since we started this project, however, shipping costs have gone up significantly, so it would be good to keep down the weight of the portfolio. The current recommendation is to do what you can to reduce the weight. Only include one print. If it's the kind of print that can go unmounted, then don't mount. If it is a type of print on very thin paper that needs to be mounted, then mount on 2-ply if you can or at most 4-ply. Don't mat, or if you must, use a 2-ply mat. Please don't use 8-ply, foamcore or gatorboard, as they add significantly to the bulk of the portfolio. Additional weight adds to the shipping cost for all participants. The portfolio case does not have loose-leaf acetate pages, but if you wish to submit an unmounted print, you may provide your own protective sleeve. After being shipped about 20 times, the mounts are likely to show some wear, so you might want to hinge mount, so that you can replace the mount easily, or if you drymount, then put the mounted print in a clear sleeve for extra protection.

Participants who always have to ship the portfolio internationally will thank you for keeping it light. We wouldn't want people to drop out of the project, because they couldn't afford to ship the portfolio.

Q: Why is the portfolio locked?
A: Postal regulations require that it be locked, and the USPS and possibly other shippers won't accept it if it isn't. The lock wouldn't do much to stop someone with a genuine interest in stealing the prints. Check the secure page for the combination. If the lock goes missing, then buy another combination lock and set it to the combination on the secure page. If you need the combination, send a PM to David A. Goldfarb.

Q: Can I send an inkjet print I made on my mom’s Epson printer and taken with my Coolpix 666?
A: No!

Q: Where can I see the full mailing list?
A: For the first two rounds we posted a secure page with the mailing list and the combination to the lock. Because only Sean could update the secure page, it was cumbersome to keep it up to date as participants joined and left the list or moved to a new address, and the passive management approach meant that sometimes the portfolio was shipped to someone who was away from home, and it would get stuck in one place for months.

The porfolio is now being managed more actively, so that the list can be kept up to date, and each participant's information and availability will be confirmed by PM on APUG before the portfolio is shipped. We are using PM rather than e-mail for confirmation, to assure that all participants are active members of APUG.

Q: I have more questions who do I ask?
A: Send a PM to David A. Goldfarb.